Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-08-18


and maintain bridges across the Wis
consin River at other points in the state.
If this is the general practice, then
certainly there would be some justifca-
ton for the people of Grand Rapids and
Centralia to insist that the County keep
up the Wood County bridge.
Quoting from the Enterprise article,
''Our sister county of Marathon built
and maintained, and when necessary
rebuilt the bridge at Wausau" From
the answer returned by the city clerk of
Wausau and given below, there appears
to be either a willful mistatement of
facts or a glaring ignorance of the
matter.
To get at the exact truth in the matter
| had letters sent to every town on the
Wisconsin river with the following
questions:
Is there bridge over the Wisconsin
river at your city?
By whom built, city or county?
Cost of same?
By whom maintained.
| have heard from nearly all of them
and will give their answers.
WAUsAU-Yes, bridge built in 1888 by the
city, cost $4,000. Maintained by the city.
E. B. STODDARD, City Clerk.
MERRILL.-Yes built about four years ago by
the county. Cost about S8,000 Maintained by
the city. Our county clerk could tell you just
what it cost. 1t was build by the King Iron
Bridge Company. We have pile bridge also,
that was built by the city at less .e1zp expense %
S. M. HART, City Clerk.
STEVENS POINT, July 26, 'S7.-Yes a six span
bridge, six spans so feet each, built by the
Milwaukee Bridge and Iron Works of Milwaukee
in 1928. Built and maintained by the city.
Cost $4,000 w. 0. LAMEREAUX, City Clerk
The Necedah bridge | heard from
last winter The bridge was built by
private corporation, maintained as toll
bridge, bought two or three years ago
by the town of Necedah and now main
tanned by the town as toll bridge.
SAUK CITY July 27.-Yes built eight years ago
of iron, built by private individual but is now
in litigation and the village will become the
| owners of it. 1t cost about $4,000.
KILBoURN CTTY.-Yes, our bridge was built in
connection with the c. NJ & St. Paul Ry. The
city of KilbOurn gave the Railroad Company
$500 for making a wagon road under the rail
road bridge The city keeps the wagon road in
repairs. "A. STIILMAN.
The above are the only towns | have
heard from as yet. AS soon as I hear
from the others will inform your readers
as | wish to see this matter placed
fairly before them.
Now | ask why should the Wood
County bridge be made an exception.
The benefits derived from the bridge
are all local, with the one exception of
the fact that it is the county seat. Does
not every person doing business at the
county seat expend more or less money
with the people there? Is it not an
advantage to Grand Rapids and Contra
liza to have the county seat located
there? Why should that be used as an
argument for the support of the Wood
County bridge; because the people of
Wood County have conferred benefit
upon those two cities by locating the
county seat there, should, they be made
to pay tribute for doing it? Would
Centralia and Grand Rapids be in a
better position to keep up the bridge if
the county seat was moved?
The writer's of the Enterprise article
;g, s85'tti1iSt 'tiisSStr rRe maintainance Of the bridge
would be bu1ree9aeeIn serious and oppres
sive to a small corn1S Sunity with limited
amount of taxableN property. The
assessed valuation of Ggand RAPIDS ana
Nrucb eo1d ,,.o +bo uo,,o wet MarShfield
has expended each year for the last SIX
years, more money for road purposes
than the city of Grand RaSids would
have done if it had in addition to its
own road expenses kept up the Wood
County bridge alone, including tlhe cost
of rebuilding once in twelve or forhrteen
years There is one year that isS an
exception to this, the year of the high
water at the Rapids. That year th&
road expense of the two towns were
about the same.
The Enterprise article states, cit
would be a just reproach upon the whole
county to have it truthfully said that its
court house and county records cannot
be reached by three-fourths of its own
people except they swim the river or
pay toll at the city limits for the
privilege" I unqualifiedly agree with
them and the average person would
enquire, why do you not move your
county seat ard make it more central
and convenient? The sentence has
reference to the bill introduced by me
in the assembly last winter which passed
the assembly and was smothered in a
SENATE COMMITTEE. The bill gave to the
county of Wood all the rights incident
to corporations as regards the Wood
County bridge, which would have been
the right to sell. As Il told Mr.. Gardner
at the time, the idea was, if the bin
passed, to sell the bridge to the cities OF
Grand Rapids and Centralia for nomi-